Plan B Omicron curbs derail pubs and restaurants’ vital Christmas trading period January 11, 2022 The re-emergence of curbs to tamp down on the spread of Covid-19 derailed the vital Christmas trading period for Britain’s hospitality sector, reveal new figures published today. Brits pulled back sharply on spending at pubs, bars and restaurants over the festive period, according to research undertaken by Barclaycard. Spending at restaurants sunk over 14 per [...]
IoD Chief Economist Kitty Ussher on how the UK can balance the books January 11, 2022 This article first appeared in ICAS’ CA magazine. We emerge from the pandemic with cautious optimism – and a huge fiscal hangover. How do we balance the books and what role can CAs play in supporting the economy’s nascent recovery? IoD Chief Economist Kitty Ussher shares her thoughts Kitty Ussher is sitting in a meeting room at the [...]
Central London continues to feel impact of Plan B measures January 10, 2022 Central London has suffered another blow to its recovery as shoppers stay away from the city’s retail hotspots. Footfall in the West End and other areas dropped by more than a quarter (25.6 per cent) last week compared to the week before. “With employees continuing to work from home the drop in footfall in Central [...]
Beach Bum Rum: How a Scotsman is making Mauritius’ favourite tipple January 10, 2022 A Scotsman living in Dubai is behind two award-winning rums made on Mauritius, the last home of the dodo. He is now hoping they will give the island’s long-established Pink Pigeon a run for its money. Born in Macduff in Aberdeenshire, David Adamson swapped wine making in England for rum-making, with some success: his Beach Bum [...]
Grenfell: Gove tells dodgy developers ‘we are coming for you’ as they’re forced to foot the bill for cladding crisis January 10, 2022 Michael Gove has sent a stark warning to property developers that have profited from installing dangerous cladding, like that was used in the Grenfell tower, telling them that “we are coming for you” as he unveils his plan to make them pay for cladding refurbishments across the UK. Gove told MPs today that the burden [...]
Elephant and Castle redevelopment to progress to second phase after loan win January 10, 2022 The redevelopment of the former Elephant and Castle shopping centre has been given a boost after the securing of a development loan. Build-to-rent developer Get Living has acquired £365m from Starwood Capital, The Times reported. This will enable the second phase of the redevelopment, which is set to create 485 homes and a new campus [...]
Housebuilders’ share prices plunge as government cracks down on cladding crisis January 10, 2022 Homebuilders’ share prices tumbled on Monday as the government said it was prepared to force developers to pay for the removal of dangerous cladding. Housing minister Michael Gove has handed builders a March deadline to agree a plan to protect leaseholders who cannot sell their homes due to their fire defects. Leaseholders have called on [...]
Katten hikes London associate pay as competition for City law firms soar January 10, 2022 Law firm Katten Muchin Rosenman has raised its pay for London associates by some £10,000 for each experience level today, as the competition for applicants soars in London. The new salary pay-grades, which also accompany potentially lofty bonus’, will see junior lawyers on a £108,000 annual salary. Associates with one year post-qualified experience (PQE) will have [...]
Four-day week at Atom Bank leads to 500 per cent surge in job applicants who want 34 hours a week with no pay cut January 10, 2022 Atom Bank’s four-day working week has led to a 500 per cent surge in job applications and boosted staff morale, its boss has said, stressing he is “utterly committed” to the new set up. The UK’s first app-based bank saw the jump in people applying for job vacancies in one week, shortly after it announced [...]
Exclusive: Cyber security becomes the ‘single biggest risk’ as hackers flood the City January 10, 2022 New data has revealed that more than half of firms believe that exposure to a cyber attack has increased alongside the rise of remote working, with industry experts calling it "the single biggest risk".